


And Maybe Someday Love

by Suzaku (wingblade)



Category: Code Geass
Genre: April Showers 2018, April Showers Challenge, Canon Era, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-21 21:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14293488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingblade/pseuds/Suzaku
Summary: Lelouch’s feet have never moved as quickly as Suzaku’s; they have never been quite as swift or nimble.





	And Maybe Someday Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is from late 2017; posting it now because of tears. Named for one of my favorite suzalulu songs, Love Song Requiem by Trading Yesterday.

Lelouch’s feet have never moved as quickly as Suzaku’s; they have never been quite as swift or nimble.

But they try. Soles aching and sides burning, Lelouch wipes the sweat from his brow. Suzaku is up ahead, much farther than he had been moments before. Trees line the paved trail, leading them farther and farther from civilization. Lelouch hasn’t seen another runner yet, and for this, he is glad; less so for being able to avoid any awkward look from passers-by who might happen to notice Lelouch’s woeful inadequacy for athletics and more for being alone with Suzaku.

Accepting Suzaku’s offer of running with him had been a temporary lapse in judgment. The offer had, after all, been in jest; Suzaku knows Lelouch isn’t interested in athletics the way he is. And yet Lelouch had accepted.

Lelouch can’t force his muscles to move any faster; they’re shutting down on him with little resistance. The rubber of his shoe soles are scraping along the paved trail as Lelouch drags his feet, having given up on trying to lift his knees. His throat burns with thirst, deeper than any he's ever felt. Sweat drips into his eyes, but he endures. He can’t lose Suzaku — and he’s about to slip into the trees up ahead, out of sight.

And they can’t have him.

Ready to collapse, Lelouch reaches for the water bottle strapped to his belt. He opens his mouth wide in anticipation, gasping, but no water meets his dry lips. Shortly after they began their run, he had emptied it, drenching himself after mere minutes of exercise. Somehow, he had hoped there was a drop left inside; that every time he would drink, there would always be something left. He snaps the hook back onto his belt; now, he’s reminded of its emptiness every time it slaps against his thigh.

Empty. Empty.

Lelouch squints against the brightness of the sun, looking to see if he can make out Suzaku's water bottle. From the distance between them, Lelouch isn’t able to tell if the bottle is still full, but knowing Suzaku, he’ll save every last drop until the end.

“You should save some of your water, Lelouch,” Suzaku had told him when Lelouch emptied his bottle earlier, near the beginning of their run. This was before Suzaku had left Lelouch behind in his dust; an adequate place, seeing as how Lelouch didn’t listen. It’s a habit he picked up somewhere along the way: when Suzaku chastises or corrects him — any helpful comment in general — Lelouch eyes will glaze over. And it’s irritating to be patronized by Suzaku, of all people; when the person he so desperately reaches for happens to be his biggest critic.

Suzaku means well, but so does everyone else who graces Lelouch with their opinion: Why don’t you sleep more? Are you not eating well? You need to stop skipping class. Gambling’s such a waste of time.

The difference between Suzaku and everyone else is the lack of condescension. When Suzaku criticizes Lelouch, it’s because he cares; he actually worries. With his other classmates, it feels like forced banter at times. The only other person Lelouch trusts to be honest with him about their opinions is Nunnally.

It’s a familial bias. Secretive and reclusive by nature, Lelouch can’t help but attach himself to his family. Nunnally and Suzaku are family.

Even if Suzaku still has water, Lelouch will never be able to catch up to him. He could accept defeat and sit and wait for Suzaku to eventually come looking for him, but that could take hours. Lelouch will never taste the refreshing sweetness of water again —

“Lelouch? Are you okay?” a voice calls out. Lelouch turns to see Suzaku jogging over to him. Eyeing his friend's waist, Lelouch spots his water bottle. Lelouch licks his lips hungrily as he reaches out for the bottle.

Suzaku’s hand meets Lelouch’s halfway between their bodies, and he takes advantage of Lelouch's surprise to curl their fingers together. When Lelouch breaks his gaze away from the precious water, he notices Suzaku’s eyes locked on his face. Lelouch’s heart is still racing from its previous excursions, and when he opens his mouth to speak, a soft wheeze escapes.

“Suzaku.” Hands tighten against each other, then Suzaku is pulling Lelouch in. They’ve never been this close — not like this, and not raging with adrenaline. Lelouch can’t pull away; the thought of attempting to do so makes his muscles scream. But neither can he allow himself to fall, so he presses a hand to Suzaku’s chest to steady himself. The sweat seeping through Suzaku’s shirt is warm to the touch and doesn’t disgust Lelouch in the slightest. Suzaku’s heartbeat against his palm is too mesmerizing for Lelouch to ever think such a touch could be revolting.

Leaning forward, Lelouch rests his sweaty forehead against Suzaku’s. He’s narrowly escaped a horrendous mistake — on both of their parts — and yet he can’t force his body to leave the intimate embrace. It's warm and familiar, like the way he feels with Nunnally, and yet this is something more.

They both fight for Japan, but in different ways and on opposite sides. Even if the barriers between them didn’t exist, Lelouch isn’t sure if he’d kiss Suzaku. But he wants to, more than anything, especially when they’re both rendered so vulnerable like this, sweat mingling as they gasp for oxygen.

Before Lelouch dies, he’ll kiss Suzaku. He promises this to himself. It could even be on his own deathbed, as he slips from this world to the next in Suzaku’s embrace. But Lelouch doesn’t plan on dying today, or anytime soon, so the kiss will have to wait. And maybe it’ll have to wait a long time.

But it won’t — it can’t — wait forever. Suzaku’s free hand touches Lelouch’s waist gingerly, and he’s finally able to pull away. The disappointment is clear in Suzaku’s eyes; as clear as glass. The corner of Lelouch’s lips raise in the smallest of smirks.

_I won’t wait forever, Suzaku._


End file.
